Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 1/17-1/23

Writing this while listening to Pepper’s Ghost do a radio interview about their reunion show next weekend. If it’s possible, I’m even more excited about my favorite band getting back together for a one night only double header show at The Grape Room in Philadelphia. There are a ton of awesome shows in LA this week, but I’m mostly excited about venturing east at the end of the week to catch Pepper’s Ghost…and maybe some other fave Philly bands. And then going back to NYC to catch the guys of Carney once again rock out in Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark.

It’s gonna be a fantastic week!

Here’s what I’ve got on my LA calendar:

Monday: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at Saint Rocke (10pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: It’s A School Night at Bardot featuring Great Northern and The Pierces (10pm) 

Tuesday: Queen Caveat and Endless Hallway at The Viper Room (10,11) 
ALSO: The Shakers at Crazy Girls in Hollywood (9pm) 
ALSO: The Pierces at The Hotel Cafe (10pm) 
ALSO: Barcelona at Saint Rocke (9:30) 
ALSO: Lindsey Ray and Taylor Locke and the Roughs at The Satellite (8pm) 
ALSO: Wire in the Walls, Family of the Year, and Olin and The Moon at The Echo (8:30) 
ALSO: The Canyons at Molly Malone’s (9pm) 

Weds: Anna Nalick at The Hotel Cafe (9pm) 
ALSO: Lady Danville at The Troubadour (8:35) 

Thursday: Nikka Costa at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Austin Hartley Leonard and Satellite at The Hotel Cafe (8,10pm)
ALSO: The Elizabeth Kill at The Cat Club (8pm) 
ALSO: Chasing Avalanche at The Viper Room (10:30) 
ALSO: Lady Danville at The Troubadour (8:35) 

Friday: Langhorne Slim and Old 97’s at The Music Box (9pm)
ALSO: Meiko at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Alice Peacock at The Mint (8pm) 
ALSO: David and Devine at Room 5 (11pm) 
ALSO: Lady Danville at The Troubadour (8:35) 

Saturday: Jake Newton, Tyler Hilton, Ernie Halter, Shaimus, and Queen Caveat at The Hotel Cafe…this line-up blows my mind. Don’t miss it…seriously…(8,9,10,11,12) 
ALSO: Indians and The Mowgli’s at Area 33 in Culver City
ALSO: Guster at The Music Box (7pm) 
ALSO: Purple Melon at Saint Rocke (9pm) 

Sunday: Lemon Sun and Voxhaul Broadcast at The Echoplex (8pm)
ALSO: TD Lind, Jesse Cole, and Brandon Walters at The Hotel Cafe (8,9,10) 
ALSO: Chris Pierce at Saint Rocke (9pm) 

To Keep in Mind:
Jan. 24th: Cold War Kids at Bootleg 
Jan. 25th: Vertical Horizon at The Key Club 
Jan. 28th: Nico Vega at Saint Rocke
January 28th: Free Energy at The Roxy 
January 29th: Charlotte Martin at Bootleg 
Jan. 30th: Against Me! at The Music Box  
Feb 1st: Patrick Park at The Hotel Café 
Feb. 1st: Queen Caveat at The Viper Room  
Feb 5th: The Silent Comedy at El Rey 
Feb 9th: Sarah McLaughlin at Nokia Live
Feb 9th: Tina Dico at The Troubadour
Feb 16th: Nicole Atkins at The Troubadour 
Feb. 16th: Scars on 45 at The Hotel Cafe  
Feb. 20th: Beth Hart at The Echoplex
Feb 26th: Josh Ritter and Scott Hutchinson (Frightened Rabbit) at The Music Box
March 1st: Biffy Clyro at The Troubadour 
March 3rd: Civil Twilight at The Troubadour 
March 22nd: War on Drugs at The Toubadour 

~ Kristen

It’s a School Night: Everest and Lemon Sun

Giving Room 5’s Songwriters in the Round some competition for my favorite Monday night activity would surely be the It’s a School Night events at Bardot. Bardot is this lovely club located above The Avalon in Hollywood…worth going to check out the decor alone. Every Monday night the club plays host to a couple amazing bands; up and comers like Carney, The Rescues, Madi Diaz and occassionally some pretty major acts like Ben Folds and next week’s guest Curt Smith (of Tears for Fears).  And did I mention all of this is FREE?

The catch? Acts aren’t always announced very far in advance. Also, the events are generally RSVP only and with major acts like Ben Folds, get there early or there will be a line down the street! Fortunately, all you need to do is check the it’s a school night website and get on the mailing list then RSVP and you’ve got an in past the velvet ropes (yes, there actually is a velvet rope)!

Last night, I ventured to Bardot to see Everest and Lemon Sun. Everest has been on my list of bands to see for awhile now and they certainly did not disappoint. Be sure to catch them out on tour with Guster and then Matt Costa. They put on a fantastic live show:

Lemon Sun, as usual, gave us a rockin’ set…even with a drummer they’d never played with before.  However, the dance party was cut short when the cops showed up. I’m guessing there were some noise complaints… The band insisted on busting out one more song before giving in to the authorities:

All in all a good evening. Next week: Curt Smith and Angela McCluskey. It was also mentioned that sometime in October, Fran Healy (of Travis) will be making an appearance on a school night… To give you a tiny idea of what this means to me, I’ll just say that the Travis tune “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” was my theme song for many many years…

~ Kristen

Carney does Spiderman

It was SO wonderful to see my fave LA band again…even if it was just on TV. I TiVoed Good Morning America to see the first performance of Carney performing a song from Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark (music written by Bono and The Edge)…unfortunately the telecast was pre-empted by Obama, whom up until this point, I had absolutely no complaints about.

After waiting just about all day, the video was finally posted on New York Magazine’s website.

Other pertinent interview bits:

And just in case the New York Magazine link doesn’t work:

I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to get out to NYC and see this on stage!

~ Kristen

Warped Tour Pomona

About a week ago, Amanda and I ventured to Pomona for Warped Tour #2. I’m so glad I went, mostly because it was another excuse to rock out with After Midnight Project, who, by the way, are coming home to LA to play the Key Club September 4th (get your tickets now!).

One of the best parts of Warped Tour Pomona, was the fact that After Midnight Project was able to do an acoustic set. The following video isn’t from Pomona, but AMP have been doing several acoustic sets, including one at the KIA tent that was captured and showcased here. I love it when rock bands break it down acoustically, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a band do it as well as After Midnight Project…

Other highlights for me included actually being able to see Mayday Parade, hearing some of You Me At Six’s  new songs, and being able to sample several new bands. Amanda was a big fan of Dicso Curtis who gave me a new appreciation for Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and certainly put forth the happiest performance of the day (seriously, try to watch the band play and not smile).

Personally, I was enraptured by the Arkansas-based Deas Vail, whose soaring vocals, subtle harmonies, and piano base drew me in like a moth to a flame. I was literally walking past their stage to go elsewhere when I heard the music and HAD to stop. I kept trying to leave, but I just couldn’t…it was too beautiful to look away.

I recognized the name of the band, not because they were openers for the Owl City/Lights tour that I really wanted to see, but because I had at one point told myself NOT to like the band as they won a competition to get their video on MTVU, beating my beloved Carney. Funny how these things work sometimes…

Here’s that video:

And here’s the song that hooked me: Birds

~ Kristen

p.s. pictures to come…

The Rescues: Let Loose the Horses

New Music from The Rescues out today! Their new CD Let Loose the Horses was just released. In celebration ITunes is giving away their first single “Break Me Out”. This is not the first version I’ve heard of this song. I’ve actually been following The Rescues for about as long as I’ve been living in Los Angeles. This song is included in two different forms on their first CD, Crazy Ever After, but that was before the trio of Gabriel Mann, Kyler England, and Adrianne Gonzalez added Rob Giles and became a quartet.

I first saw the original trio play at The Hotel Cafe…the same night as Meiko and The Kin (it was a great evening of music). I was instantly attracted to their amazing harmonies. The more I saw the band play, the more I enjoyed them. I had also seen Rob Giles open for Carney a couple of times at Molly Malone’s and when I heard he was joining the band, I couldn’t have been more excited. What I love most about this quartet is not just their harmonies, but how they can meld four very different styles of music into a singular group. Going to see The Rescues live, there is definitely something in it for everyone.

I was disappointed for awhile when going to see them as they stopped playing many of my old favorite tunes (especially “Matter of Time” and “California Rain”). However, I eventually became equally addicted to their newer material with songs like “Can’t Stand the Rain” and “Let Loose the Horses” as particular stand outs in the live performance.  I am very excited to finally have these and their other new tunes to listen to.

If you want to give The Rescues a test spin before going out to buy the album, their CD Release party is this Friday at The Troubadour. If you live too far away, check out their free single “Break Me Out” on Itunes and watch the video below of The Rescues singing “Let Loose the Horses” at the Kelly Buchanan Benefit (you can even see me in a few shots..ha!).

Also, go check out their first CD, Crazy Ever After…it’s one of my faves…

~ Kristen

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 6/21-6/27

So, I finally get to the point when I can actually take more nights off and have my weekends back and I was so excited about the prospect of being able to catch more of the shows I long to see every week and then…I go and get myself sick. Bleck! But just because I’ll probably have to take it easy this week doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from all the great shows going on.

Here’s my dream list:

Monday: Carney at the Troubadour opening for Athlete (9pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (8pm) 

Tuesday: Adam Arcuragi at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)…PHILLY artist alert!!
ALSO: Automatique and The Shakers at Whiskey a Go Go (9pm)
ALSO: The Open Sea featuring Ari Hest at Room 5 (7pm) 

Weds: Abandoned Pools and Ashes Divide at The Viper Room (10,11)
ALSO: Lucy Woodward at The Hotel Cafe (10:30)…record release
ALSO: Josh Ritter at The Music Box (8pm)
ALSO: Hot Hot Heat and Links at Bootleg (8:30) 

Thursday: Kate Miller-Heidke at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)  
ALSO: Jonathan Clark at House of Blues acoustic lounge (9:30)
ALSO: Rick Cornette at Cafe Was (??)…plays keys for The Other Side of Morning…also has a solo project. Curious? So am I!
ALSO: Fitz and the Tantrums at Spaceland (10pm) 

Friday: The Rescues at The Troubadour (9pm)…Record Release show
ALSO: Andy Clockwise at The Hotel Cafe (10:30) 

Saturday: The Silent Comedy and Jonathan Foreman (of Switchfoot) at the BellyUp in Solano Beach

Sunday: The Webb Sisters at The Hotel Cafe (8:30)
ALSO: The Shakers at O’Brien’s (10pm)
ALSO: Austin Hartley Leonard at The Foundry on Melrose
ALSO: Warped Tour in Ventura 

To Keep in Mind:
July 7th: Carbon Leaf at The Troubadour
July 8th: Michelle Branch at Greek Theater
July 10th: Lilith Fair
July 13th: The Silent Comedy and Andy Clockwise at The Troubadour
July 14th: Nico Vega at The Troubadour
July 18th: The Swell Season and Bird and the Bee at Hollywood Bowl
July 30-31st: Morcheeba at Hollywood Bowl
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center (with Lady GaGa)
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center

~ Kristen

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 6/14-6/20

This week will mark the debut of LMN’s first video interview series!! Amanda came up to LA and we interviewed one of my picks for best of SXSW ’10, The Other Side of Morning! It’s been a blast getting back into the video shooting/editing/etc. game. The band has a big show coming up this Thursday at The House of Blues. They hit the stage at 9pm and I’d highly recommend being there. If you’re not yet convinced keep coming back to the site this week to check out our promos as well as interview and behind the scenes footage…I am seriously excited about this so I hope you can check it out!

IMPORTANT: if you’d like to get tickets to this show, you can get them for $10 directly from the band. Just email theothersideofmorningband@yahoo.com and ask about House of Blues tickets.

But that’s not the only show happening this week. Here’s what else I’d love to see:

Monday: Paris Carney, Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 featuring Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale (8, 9)
ALSO: Haim at The Troubadour (9:15)
ALSO: Abott Kinney at Molly Malone’s (8pm) 

Tuesday: Purple Melon FREE at The Viper Room (10:45)
ALSO: Abandoned Pools at Spaceland (8:30)
ALSO: Terra Naomi and David and Devine at The Roxy (8:30) 

Weds: The Janks and Hot Hot Heat at Bootleg (8:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Ashes Divide at The Viper Room (11pm) 

Thursday: The Other Side of Morning at The House of Blues main stage (9pm)
ALSO: Queen Caveat and The Silent Comedy at Speakeasy (8:30,11)
ALSO: Run, Run, Run at Silverlake Lounge (11pm)
ALSO: William Tell and Jenny Owens Young at The Hotel Café (7,9)
ALSO: Fitz & The Tantrums at Spaceland (10pm) 

Friday: Of Verona and Soul Puppet at Molly Malone’s (9:30, 10:30)
ALSO: The Whigs at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Rocco Deluca at Bootleg (10:30)
ALSO: Juke Kartel at The Viper Room (8pm) 

Saturday: Until June at The Viper Room (11?)
ALSO: Lelia Broussard at The Hotel Café (10pm)
ALSO: The Like at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Rooney at The Music Box (8pm)
ALSO: Imogen Heap at The Greek Theater (7:30)

Sunday: day of rest

To Keep in Mind:
June 24th: Kate Miller-Heidke at The Hotel Cafe
June 25th: Warped Tour in LA
June 25th: The Rescues CD Release at The Troubadour
June 21st: Carney at The Troubadour
June 21st: Gaslight Anthem at El Rey
July 7th: Carbon Leaf at The Troubadour
July 8th: Michelle Branch at Greek Theater
July 10th: Lilith Fair
July 13th: The Silent Comedy and Andy Clockwise at The Troubadour
July 18th: The Swell Season and Bird and the Bee at Hollywood Bowl
July 30-31st: Morceeba at Hollywood Bowl
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center (with Lady GaGa)
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center

~ Kristen